A Word of Dances

Goa Gajah and Yeh Pulu are a short bemo ride from Ubud on the way to Gianyar. The area can also be explored on bicycle. Start early in the morning to avoid the crowd o f tourist buses and the hassling vendors at the entrance of Goo Gajah. The visit to Yeh Puluh is quieter, and can be pro­longed by a walk in the surrounding rice fields: start at Yeh Pulu, then find Puri Yeh Pulu Cottages, and from there follow the path to Goo Gajah, enjoy­ing great views above the Petanu River . It is only a I km walk, but the path is not clear and you may need assistance to find your way.

The Ubud Water Palace on the main road stages a legong dance on Saturdays at 7:30pm and a children's dance, accompanied by a women's gamelan group, on Tuesdays at 7:30pm (Rp 50,000).

Check the dance shows at Po ndok Pekak – they also present a Frog Dance on Wednesday and Saturdays at 8pm in the Pura Padang Kerta on Jl. Hanoman (Rp50,000, funds go to the library). For performance of classical gambuh , inquire in Batuan at Pura Desa Batuan .

Old Mysteries along the Petanu River

The ridges and valley between the Pakrisan and the ­Petanu rivers, flowing north-south from Mt Batur, were ­home to some of the earliest settlements and kingdoms ­of Bali . No less than 40 ancient temples are found in this .­narrow strip of land, which harbours the richest collection of antiquities on the island – from the earliest known kettledrum and clay stupa to more recent Shivaite sculptures, rock-cut sanctuaries, and sacred baths. Some of the architecture and inscriptions, written in Old Javanese, display the deep influence of East Java on the culture of Bali .

Goa Gajah : the Mystery of the Elephant Cave

One of the oldest sanctuaries in Bali , this mysterious complex was possibly a Buddhist meditation place in the 11 th century. Its name itself, the “ Elephant Cave is a mystery – there were no elephants in Bali until tourist theme parks imported them from Sumatra . The elephant motifs found in Balinese art originate from India . The cave may derive its name from Old Javanese Chronicles, which mention a Buddhist hermitage at Lwa Gajah, the “ Elephant River ,” which may refer to the Petanu. Other theories say that the site got its name from a statue of the elephant – headed god Ganesha found inside, or from the first Dutch colonial who found the place in 1923, and mistook the demon carved above the entrance for an elephant head.